Student Council Proposes More Courses in Religion

The Student Council, in its final meeting of the year last night, remanded to the administration an increase in the number of undergraduate religion courses, and provision for undergraduate concentration in religion.

The recommendations were made in accepting a portion of the Council's report on religion. The report emphasized the historical importance of religion, the tradition of religions scholarship, and the sociological role of religion in the development of cultures.

It also referred to student interest in religion, as shown by a poll which a strong majority of respondents indicated that they were concerned with religious questions.

In proposing more religion courses, the Council stated that its "major concern is that religion be treated . . . in a reasonably thorough, systematic, and critical way." The group felt that courses should include anti-theistic as well as theistic philosophies, and stressed objectivity in presentation.

The Council also suggested that a committee similar to the History and Literature or History and Science committees administer the field of concentration. This would not necessarily comprise a separate department; concentrators would take courses offered by the Divinity School and the Departments of History, Social Relations, and related fields.

The recommendation stated, however, that a Department of Religion might be advisable to fill in gaps in course offerings. Such a department, the Council said, would also ensure thorough coverage of all major portions of religious thought, beyond that offered in the fundamentally Protestant Divinity School.